


The Butterfly Effect

by 96percentdone (Nakanaide)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Canon Divergence, Hinata's just not prepared for this honestly, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Suicide Attempt, also the komahina is complicated like it is in canon lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-22 21:33:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8301934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nakanaide/pseuds/96percentdone
Summary: THIS FIC IS DISCONTINUED. IT IS DEAD. It would have gone absolutely perfectly if Hinata never showed up. Nobody was supposed to open the door to the warehouse. Nobody was supposed to find Komaeda tied up and about to stab himself, and yet, there Hinata was. A canon divergence AU where Komaeda's plan completely fails when Hinata's quest to find bombs leads him into the warehouse.





	1. For Want of a Nail...

To put it simply, Hinata was panicking. When Komaeda told everyone he set up bombs somewhere to blow up the island, everyone immediately freaked out. It was the last day. The clock was ticking, and those bombs were going to go off at twelve if they didn’t find them fast.

That’s why Hinata was searching the final island. _Now, the bombs are somewhere we’ve all been before, right? Damn it, that could be anywhere!_ But there’s no time. He knows he has no time, so he speeds through checking the food stands. Luckily, those are easy enough to check. _Okay. No bombs._

Hinata ran out of the vendor stands, towards the Plushie Factory. In his frenzy, he almost ran right past it, skidding to a stop right before the warehouse. Just as he was about to go back to the Plushie Factory to check for bombs, he heard something.

 _Is that…music? Is someone in the warehouse? If that’s the case, it could only be—_ Komaeda. The reason he was running around like this in the first place. Hinata gripped the door handle, and pushed the door open.

_Thunk._

Or so he had originally planned. _Is… is the door blocked? Damn it, we don’t have time for this!_ Hinata was almost ready to just give up and check the Plushie Factory, but the stubbornness of the door just made him more suspicious. Cautiously, Hinata continued his effort in opening the door. He didn’t want to accidentally trigger any bombs, but at the same time, he needed to get in.

The door gave in, and Hinata stumbled a little to stay standing in the dark warehouse. He blinked, trying to adjust to the limited light from the front door. The music he heard earlier was definitely blaring in here. _It’s… creepy._ Beneath him Hinata noticed something had fallen. _Is there… more?_ His eyes followed the chain, and he seized up in fear. _What if this was a trap, and I just set off the bombs?!_

But nothing happened. Hinata released a huge sigh of relief. _Okay, where are the lights in here? I can’t see anything._ After struggling to turn the lights on, Hinata fully took in his surroundings.

Able to see clearly, Hinata turned off the music player, and silence enveloped the warehouse. There was a line of Monokuma panels going from the door to the curtain. _That must have been what was blocking the door._ Half of them had fallen, but the other half still stood upright. Slowly, Hinata followed the train of panels to the curtain. _Is that…. a lighter?_ Carefully, Hinata bent down to pick up the lighter, flicking it off.

This was clearly a trap. Hinata knew that now. There’s really only one person who could have set something like this up, but why? He stared at the curtain, poised to open it, and prepared himself for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prologue is short as fuck, and I'm someone who regularly writes short things so that should tell you. Also this is the only part that's from Hinata's perspective. The rest is Komaeda's. I just needed this as Hinata because reasons. (Actually the reason is that I can't explain how Hinata ended up here from Komaeda's perspective).
> 
> Anyway I hope you liked it! There's obviously more lol.


	2. ...The Shoe was Lost

Everything was proceeding smoothly for Komaeda. It was expected, though. All room for error within this plan was accounted for by his luck, which he had unshakable faith in. There was absolutely no way things could go wrong.

Setting up the Monokuma panels was tedious, and Komaeda was glad they were mostly set up the day before. He didn’t have time to waste today if things were to proceed on schedule. Tying himself up was much less difficult. Having a free hand certainly makes things simpler, especially if you tie the burnt piece first.

Duct tape over his mouth, Komaeda was ready for the next part of his plan: the part where he stabs himself repeatedly. Holding the knife in his hand, he prepared to plunge the blade into his thigh.

_Thunk._

Komaeda froze. _Is… is someone at_ _the door?_ Komaeda waited, but with the music playing as loudly as it was, it was hard to hear. After a short pause, Komaeda tightened his grip of the knife, ready to resume. _Must have been my imagination._

The music stopped, and Komaeda knew someone came in. Komaeda lay there, completely frozen. He hoped that if he didn’t make a sound, whoever it was would leave. _Please leave. Please, please leave._ This was a setback. Judging by how the room didn’t catch fire his chain of panels failed somewhere along the line. _If you leave right now, I can fix this. I can become a stepping stone for hope. For you. Please, please, please leave._

Unfortunately, Komaeda’s luck had taken a turn for the worse. They didn’t leave; in fact—

“….What—?”

Hinata was standing right there, holding the curtain open, in shock. _Of all the people to find me, why must it have been you?_

This was the worst possible outcome. Nothing Komaeda could have done would have prepared him for this. He believed in his luck. He was so sure his good luck would prevail, and yet Hinata Hajime stood before him, and Komaeda was paralyzed in fear.

It wasn’t supposed to go this way. Nobody was supposed to find him until a little after twelve, covered in torture wounds and impaled by a spear. He was supposed to be dead. He wasn’t supposed to be caught in this half-baked state. Komaeda was ready to torture himself for this failure, but he was completely frozen in place.

_You’re not supposed to be here you’re not supposed to be here you’re not supposed to be here why are you here? Why? Why why why why why **why?**_

Hinata took a deep breath, still trying to process what he was seeing. “Komaeda, I need you to put the knife down.” Slowly, Hinata approached Komaeda, still frozen in place, and kneeled next to him.

Komaeda snapped out of his frozen terror in that instant. If Komaeda could back away, he would, but he was tied up, so he just kept squirming in an attempt to get away. Eventually he couldn’t inch away any further, and involuntarily began shaking violently.

_Why are you here you weren’t supposed to be here you aren’t supposed to be here not here not here not here not here go away go away go away please please please no one was supposed to find me—you weren’t supposed to find me I was supposed to—why are you here why are you trying to stop me why why why_

Hinata, having noticed Komaeda’s state of complete fear, backed up ever so slightly. “It’s okay. I’m not—I’m not going to do anything. I’m just going to take the knife from you… okay?” Slowly Hinata reached for the knife in Komaeda’s hand, still ready to plunge.

Komaeda froze again. He almost jerked the knife back when Hinata’s hand reached it, but was petrified in place.

 _Hinata-kun, I don’t understand, why? Why are you—_ but Komaeda’s thoughts cut off as Hinata successfully pried the knife from his grasp. Any chance Komaeda thought he had in resuming his plan died the moment it left his grip. It… was over. There was no going back from this.

 _I… failed. I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed I failed! I… it’s over._ Komaeda resigns himself to his loss. All tension in his body releases. He almost released the spear on accident in the process. _Maybe I should._

Before he could continue down that train of thought, Hinata’s hand was near his mouth. _Ah. He’s going to interrogate me, so he’s taking off the duct tape._ Komaeda waited as Hinata slowly pulled the tape off his mouth.

“Where are the bombs?” Hinata demanded. “How do we disarm them?”

Komaeda laughed. “Oh, Hinata-kun….are you planning to torture me for information?” He grinned, as Hinata’s face transformed into one of annoyance. Aggravating Hinata was amusing, and an excellent way to avoid confronting his anxiety. “I wouldn’t mind if you did, even if you are just a lowly reserve course student. Although I’m a bit concerned your performance might be lacking as a result.”

“Komaeda, cut the shit and answer the question” Hinata growled. _You make this so easy Hinata-kun._ But Komaeda wasn’t expecting Hinata to hold the knife at his throat, even if it was the unsharpened side. “Or maybe—maybe I will-- torture you for information.” He spoke, voice wavering slightly.

Komaeda sighs, eyes closed, lying on the cold floor. The knife was cold against his throat, but even still, Komaeda’s smile prevailed. The feeling of a knife pressed against him was not something he wasn’t familiar with. “Hinata-kun, the way you’re holding it make it seem like you’re about to _kill_ me, not torture me, don’t you think?”

Hinata jumped slightly at that remark, startled, before moving back into position. Komaeda hummed. “Say, Hinata-kun, if I told you there wasn’t any bombs, would you believe me?” Komaeda opened his eyes, giving Hinata a questioning gaze, grin never fading.

But Hinata wasn’t the only thing he had to worry about. Komaeda’s grip on the spear was slowly slipping as stress coated his hand in sweat. It amused him, the thought of the spear sliding out of his grip. _I wonder what will kill me, Hinata-kun? Me? Or you?_

“What?” Hinata’s eyes narrowed, first in suspicion, then confusion. “If there weren’t any bombs, then why do all this? And more importantly, how did you set off the bomb in the hotel?” The knife quivered slightly as Hinata pressed it closer, but Komaeda’s grin grew even wider.

 _Maybe you will kill me after all. I’m glad._ “There’s really only one place I could have gotten that bomb, and that’s the Octagon. Still, I wouldn’t be able to carry enough with me to blow up the island, Hinata-kun. We went straight from the funhouse to trial, remember?”

“Wait, you were just… carrying it with you? Throughout that entire trial?” Disbelief was written all over Hinata’s face. “But wait, then why—”

“Hinata-kun,” Komaeda cuts him off, playful grin intact, “take a look around you.” Komaeda loosened his grip on the spear, letting it fall just a little. Komaeda watched as Hinata looked up at the noise, his eyes widening in fear. “ _What do you think I’m trying to do?”_

_I really hope you’re the one to kill me, Hinata-kun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TFW when your suicide gambit gets interrupted by your crush and you start to break down. Why am I like this. I'm sorry.
> 
> Uh yeah so uh... if you're one of those people who thinks Komaeda would be totally fine in this situation, this is not the fic for you lmao. He only gets worse-- wait wait?
> 
> Also uh... I really tried making it apparent Hinata doesn't actually enjoy doing this, but it's kind of difficult from Komaeda's point of view. 
> 
> I do hope you enjoyed though!


	3. Cascading Failure

**** “Komaeda… what…are you doing… with that spear…?” Hinata struggled to get the question out as he gazed up in horror.

“Now, Hinata-kun, is that really fair? I did ask you a question first, you know.” Komaeda attempted to fake pout, but couldn’t maintain it with his laughter. He didn’t actually care that Hinata asked, but he really wanted Hinata to put it together himself.

“Who cares about that?!” Hinata shouted. “There’s a spear hanging right above us—”

 “Are you worried it’ll hit you?” Komaeda asked, his left thumb fiddling a little with the cord. “You don’t have to worry about that, Hinata-kun. As long as you’re not right above me, you’ll be fine.”

 Hinata grumbled something in frustration in response, but that didn’t matter to Komaeda. Komaeda looked up at the spear with childlike glee. “Hinata-kun, what do you think I’m doing here?” It was hard to contain his excitement as he reiterated his question, but he couldn’t help it.  

_ It’s here it’s here it’s finally here finally finally finally–  _ finally, Komaeda gets to die. Finally he’ll be free from his luck cycle, whether it was from Hinata’s knife, or the spear hanging menacingly from the girder. After being forced to suffer for so long, and barely avoiding countless deaths, the death the world owed him could finally be his.

“What…you’re doing here?” Hinata furrowed his brow in thought, after glancing around the room once again. The knife left Komaeda’s throat as Hinata attempted to piece the truth together, and Komaeda frowned. Hinata swallowed. “Honestly Komaeda… I don’t get your motives for this but—” Hinata’s voice cracked slightly, before continuing. “I won’t let you.”

With that, Hinata immediately began sawing away the ropes binding Komaeda to the floor. If Komaeda was surprised before, he absolutely couldn’t believe what was happening right now. “Hinata-kun…?” Komaeda asked, barely able to get the name to leave his lips. Hinata didn’t respond and just kept cutting away.

_ I…I don’t understand. Why are you…you weren’t supposed to free me, you were supposed to kill me! I want to die! You were supposed to end my miserable life that way I could— _

_ My…miserable life? _

Hinata finished freeing Komaeda, but even then Komaeda didn’t move. He just lay there as his confused emotions tormented his brain. Hinata didn’t seem to notice Komaeda’s internal chaos as he shuffled over to the other side of Komaeda and gripped the cord of the spear in his hands.

_ Since when did that…matter? Since when did what I think about my life matter at all…? Who cares about my despair, isn’t it all…for hope? Isn’t everything I do for hope?  _ _ Absolute  _ _ hope? It’s all for hope, so why am I being so selfish? _

**_What’s…happening to me?_ **

“H-hey, you know you can move now… right?” Hinata’s voice immediately pulled Komaeda’s attention back. “You don’t have to worry about the spear. I’ve got it, so… you can let go, okay?”

Komaeda looked over to the spear, verifying what Hinata said, before staring at him in awe and confusion. “Why…?” He didn’t understand. He knew he should move, since Hinata kindly asked it of him, but…he just couldn’t. He just didn’t understand Hinata’s actions at all.

“Why?” Hinata’s brow furrowed at this. “Well, it’s probably safer if you move before I do anything about the spear, so….” He trailed off, clearly oblivious to the real intent of Komaeda’s question.

Slowly, Komaeda slid out from under the spear and to the right of Hinata. But… he didn’t let go of the spear. He absolutely could not let go. Not until he finally understood what was happening. Not until he was in control again. He was always in control, right? Right?! So then what was this happening now?

His grip on the spear was the only thing that kept him chained to any semblance of stability. Hinata glanced at him in confusion when Komaeda didn’t let go of the spear. “You…do you want to help me with this?” Hinata asked, confused by Komaeda’s sudden silence.

Komaeda stared at the spear hanging from the girder, and Hinata took his silence as a response. “Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do,” Hinata began, slowly inching towards the back wall. Komaeda nodded as he followed. “When we get far enough back, we’re going to slowly stand up, causing the spear to descend downward, okay?”

It seemed simple enough. Komaeda could do that. His sanity tethered to the spear, Komaeda and Hinata reached the end of the rope. “Alright Komaeda, you ready?” Hinata waited for some kind of response, but the most Komaeda could do is nod slightly and make a vague noise of approval. “Okay.” And with that, they both slowly rose.

As Komaeda watched the spear descend, he envisioned himself under it. He was supposed to be under it. Everything went wrong. It all somehow went wrong. Komaeda knew it’s pointless to question why his luck failed him, as surely the payoff is beyond anything he’s ever imagined, but he didn’t want that payoff. He just wanted his plan to have worked. It didn’t.

With the two of them finally standing upright, Hinata let go of the spear and looked at Komaeda expectantly. “You can…you can let go now,” Hinata pointed out awkwardly, confused why Komaeda was still holding on.

_ Let go… of the spear?  _ No. Komaeda couldn’t do that. If he did, he wouldn’t have any control over this anymore!  _ I can’t let go. I can’t no no no no no no no no not this I can’t I won’t have any control anymore over anything I don’t understand what’s happening if I let go– if I let go– _

When he turned to face Hinata, he was surprised by how much patience was written on his face. It surprised Komaeda. The surprise must have been evident on Komaeda’s face because Hinata only smiled. “It’s okay to let go. It’ll be fine. Just…trust me.”

Komaeda hesitated.  _ Was it really…okay?  _ He wasn’t sure, but Hinata’s reassuring face gave him just enough confidence to let go, and the spear clattered to the floor. Komaeda shook as the spear dropped, the noise from it hitting the floor ringing in his ears.

He… failed. The spear hitting the floor killed all of his remaining denial that he could somehow still pull this off.

_ I failed. I failed I failed I failed I failed I completely failed, what’s even the point I’m so completely useless everything I did was absolutely worthless because I failed it was all so useless useless useless useless useless I failed I’m a failure! _

A light laugh briefly escaped Komaeda’s lips, leading Hinata to stare in confusion. “Komaeda….?”

_ I failed! Useless miserable failure and for what? What was the point of all this? I suffered for so long, and for what? For what? I…suffered? It’s not supposed to be about me, it’s supposed to be about hope! I failed hope! It’s always about hope! It’s about hope, not me, who even cares about me anyway, I was supposed to die for hope! And I failed! _

“Ahah…ahahahahahaha!” Komaeda collapsed to his knees, laughing hysterically. His arms wrapped around himself, Komaeda laughed. He didn’t even notice his eyes started watering, yet those tears wouldn’t fall. Komaeda knelt, staring at the room filled with overwhelming failure, and laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers. Because I suck. You're welcome.


End file.
